The argument that followed was less a confrontation and more a spectacle. Sofía tried to mediate by pouring a bottle of sidra over Hugo's head. Hugo's new girlfriend, a quiet librarian named Noelia, started filming everything on her phone, muttering, "This is going on the council's noise complaint log."

"Tomorrow is the last day of your life," Sofía had announced, handing Lucía a green shot of something that tasted like anise and regret. "Tonight, we sin for the both of us."

He lived in a stone house up the hill, a fact Lucía had conveniently forgotten to mention. And Hugo, who fixed kayaks for a living and had a memory like a steel trap for grudges, had heard the commotion. He appeared at the edge of the plaza, arms crossed, a faint smirk on his face.